Uber drivers will soon be able to track your location… with your permission, thankfully

Have you ever requested an Uber, only to realize seconds later that it’d be much easier to get picked up a few streets over? If you’ve used Uber in the past, you’ll know that the app drops a pin on the map for the driver to follow, but following recent changes to the privacy policy, drivers will now be able to track your location if you give them permission to do so.

Uber published a blog post last week in order to highlight some of the biggest changes to the privacy policy, which is now far easier to comprehend than it ever has been in the past. Not only will Uber be able to access location data when the app is running in the background, Uber will also use contact information to send promotional offers to your friends and family.

Keep in mind, these are both optional features. You have the ability to turn them on or off at any time from within the app.

You can view the new user privacy statement on Uber’s website today, but the changes won’t go into effect until July 15th. If you use Uber regularly, expect to see a notification around that date asking for permission to your location data and address book. Uber even made specific pages for iOS app permissions and Android app permissions, so you won’t be caught off guard.